Tarps and seam sealing

[arutha]

I am glad that they generally come with a tube of sealer - it’s a hint that you should figure out what it’s for! . My first cheap Amazon tarp didn’t have that. I didn’t find out that I needed to seal the seams until after I got a little wet.

FWIW until this thread I had no idea. I have a cheap Amazon tarp too and I've slept very well through the night in downpours under it.

I can understand if a cottage vendor doesn't seam seal for cost reasons or something but then the seam sealer tube should come standard or at least be a default selected option on the site. Sure let the pros deselect it if they still have sealer from the last 5 tarps they ordered but if I get a tarp with 5 weeks wait time for production (as a current covid example) then wait 2 weeks for covid shipping at exorbitant shipping rates (not the vendors fault but true), pay way more than my SO thinks I should, especially after USD to CAD conversion and I gotta pay duty on it and if unlucky a 'handling fee' for the privilege of having UPS charge me the duty, then I don't want to get wet in my first rain storm just because I didn't know this tiny little detail that seems like it makes no sense at first.

Yes I get the explanations but that doesn't change the fact that it's weird and nobody that doesn't know would think about even checking for that or asking the question.

[Tpatter]

Many less expensive tarps are tape sealed on the underside - mine was anyhow. For the most part, that worked well. I only needed to seal in a few areas that allowed enough rain to come through that my OCD kicked in.

[P-Dub]

...buying a length of cord and cutting it and tying it to the individual pullouts is beyond my skill set....

(are you sure that camping is the right activity for you?? )

[hutzelbein]

Many less expensive tarps are tape sealed on the underside - mine was anyhow. For the most part, that worked well. I only needed to seal in a few areas that allowed enough rain to come through that my OCD kicked in.

I was told that tape sealing is not possible with silicone coated tarps. The tarp needs to be PU coated. Long term, PU coating has always peeled off on my equipment. Silicone never.

As others said, you can get a tarp without pull-outs but with a ridgeline that doesn't need sealing like Warbonnet is doing. The problem there is, that the larger the tarp is, the more it will be pushed in when it's windy. However, if you don't mind the extra weight as much as the extra effort of seam-sealing, you could always order a tarp with internal pole mod(s) and skip the pull-outs. Dutch offers both for his tarps.

For what it's worth: I have used all my Warbonnet silnylon tarps (silpoly is different) for years without seam-sealing the pull-outs before they started leaking eventually. And if your hammock or your gear is not under the pull-outs, you probably can ignore the leaks.

[cmoulder]

I was told that tape sealing is not possible with silicone coated tarps. The tarp needs to be PU coated. Long term, PU coating has always peeled off on my equipment. Silicone never.

Indeed. "PU coated" triggers an ear-splitting klaxon in my head.

I was for a while mildly interested in checking out EE's Paladin 7D tarp but that stopped me dead in my tracks. $180 for a PU-coated tarp... nope!

[cougarmeat]

> The problem there is, that the larger the tarp is, the more it will be pushed in when it's windy.

That is only true when the wind is more broadside to the tarp. In my last experiments, I found that, when possible of course, setting up parallel to the wind not only eliminated the “push in”, it actual gave the tarp lift and “pulled” the sides out. As far as heat loss - Both the trees at each end of the tarp and the doors, provided enough of a wind break. Now if it were just a Hex tarp - no doors - that might be different.

And, just as one’s stakes have to handle the force of the side pushed tarp, so they have to be set to deal with a little “lift” should that force appear.

[Watertooner]

For Warbonnet tarps, seam-sealing is a bit of a misnomer. It's pull-out sealing in reality. I skipped "seam-sealing" my WB Superfly for almost two years until an all-night rain leaked through the pull-out stitching and dripped on my (normally) restful repose. Sealing the stitches indoors was quick and easy with the tube that Warbonnet supplies. Don't overthink it. Just apply the goop (without gloves even! ~ horrors ~ not really) on one side if space is tight and then do the other side when dry. You don't even have to spread out the whole tarp. Just expose the pull-outs and goop them on a weekend when you were hoping to go camping but didn't because it was too wet and your seams weren't sealed. Don't overthink it. You put toothpaste on your toothbrush. You put butter on your toast.

[gdiddy15]

To summarize:
The OP thinks side pullouts are a good idea, but cannot tie a knot or properly use the side pull-outs, is disgruntled at having to seam-seal the pullouts, but ultimately refuses to or is incapable of using the drop down options to order the tie-outs from a website. Am I missing something? Oh yeah, the condescending comment about “why do you people take it” when referring to our agreement to seam-seal tarps that we purchase from excellent, quality cottage vendors that we have come to know and love and respect. OP, I echo an above comment, “are you sure this hobby is for you?”
Everyone else, please move along to the next thread and help someone willing to receive the help. This is the first time I’ve seen a troll on hammockforums, and I know our protocol calls for being helpful and kind and respectful, but we should expect that in return.

[arutha]

To be honest I read some of that as tongue in cheek. But YMMV. That said, I personally stand by my comments on seam sealing.

And FWIW I have a Superfly with pull outs on order with Warbonnet. Hope it makes it for my birthday in Jan

[gooless]

Does anybody know if Dutchware's zenon (winter) tarps need sealing?